Help! Glutened 9 Days Ago & Still Sick....

[OldNavyWife]

My husband, who has a "silent" case of Celiac and isn't as concerned about sticking to the diet, had bought me a microwave meal that he said was gluten-free. Little did I know that he had only looked at the "common allergens" box at the bottom of the list of ingredients, and wheat wasn't listed. However, barley was like the 2nd or 3rd ingredient, not that it would have "rung a bell" with him, because he still only seems to think of wheat when he thinks of gluten. I don't blame him - I should have read the list of ingredients myself, and usually do, but this time I didn't.

So, it's been 9 days and I'm still sick. No more diarrhea or dry heaves, but still having nausea, headache, body-wide aches (like the flu), extreme fatigue, and also have been VERY emotional (just like I was before it was discovered that I had Celiac disease and went gluten-free). I have other health problems along with the Celiac, and it has made those symptoms worse also.

I don't know what to do! How long can a gluten reaction last? My docs office told me they can last for weeks, and in some people, last as long as 6-8 weeks, depending on the person, and depending on how much gluten they ingested (that last part I found in my research on the internet).

Does anyone out there have any suggestions? I really can't handle being like this, and don't have time for it (I have children and grandchildren who depend on me). I can barely get out of bed because the pain and fatigue are so severe. HELP!!!!! This is making me SO depressed, and I just don't know what to do....

[txplowgirl]

Drink plenty of water, take Pepto and I also take 2000 mgs of L-Glutamine. It helps with healing the intestines when you get glutened. It takes some of the edge off for me anyway. Also try to stay with bland foods.

I'm dealing with something at the moment myself.

I hope you get to feeling better.

Vicky

[lizard00]

Mine last anywhere from between 8-14 days.

I drink lots of water, and as the previous poster said, eat as bland as possible. Pretty much everything bothers me for a couple of days, but somethings are worse than others, so I try to avoid them. I take apple cider vinegar with all of my meals after I've been glutened, seems to help me. But then, everyone is different.

Hope you feel better soon!!

[Ahorsesoul]

Take it out on the person who gave you this to eat. Might put an end to this happening again. Rejoice in the fact that you know why you feel so terrible. It could be worse. You might have no idea of why you feel this way. So sorry you feel so terrible and that someone you love can not be trusted to keep you safe. I pray that he realises he needs to be more careful.

[OldNavyWife]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I will see if I can get out to get some L-glutamine.... can't take pepto (allergic to aspirin, and it's in the same family). I've hardly been eating the nausea is so bad, and although I'm trying to get lots of water in me, it's making the nausea worse (I've never really been a fan of water).

To Ahorsesoul: my husband, of 37 years, did not do this on purpose, and I do have to take responsibility for not reading the ingredients list myself before eating the dinner. As far as rejoicing in the fact that I know why I feel so terrible..... I wasn't diagnosed until the age of 53; 6 gastro's missed it and now I don't trust ANY gastro. I have damage now that is NOT reversible, and have found out that I passed this on to my three children as well. I also know one grandchild has been diagnosed; the other 2 haven't been tested yet. Trust me, my husband feels terrible, and it would serve no purpose to waste energy by getting angry at him when he didn't do this intentionally. I appreciate your taking the time to write, but you seem to have anger issues....

[ravenwoodglass]

I say this so often folks are going to think I have stock in Buckwheat, I don't. LOL But one thing that I can eat and seems to be soothing is Cream of Buckwheat cereal, I add some cinnamon sugar and make it with water not milk. It helps my tummy to get something in it when I am nauseous so I do a little bit at a time until things settle down. It can take awhile to get over a glutening and I do hope your feeling better soon.